Chapter 14
Luke and Taylor were also headed to the beach. Th time they left was delayed because Daphne needed a fresh diaper and Taylor was worried again about leaving them behind. But they still managed to get there by seven.
Just as they were getting out of the car, Luke heard a loud utterance of “Oi!” in the near distance and saw Ashton waving them over. Taylor immediately recognized Felicia as well, and they shared a hug when they were within spitting distance.
“I love your bikini,” she said to Felicia. “It looks so pretty on you!”
“So does yours, girl,” Felicia returned. “I mean, you might have just given birth three months ago, but you’re already starting to not look like it.”
Taylor offered up a small smile. “Thank you,” she said. “I needed that.”
“She gets insecure about her belly,” Luke explained on Taylor’s behalf.
After the four of them settled on a spot along the shoreline, Ashton broke the ice with, “Felicia, how do you manage being a single mum?”
“Well, I’ve only been single for about a week, you know,” she reminded him. “But it’s already becoming a struggle, what with the girls being in their terrible twos and all.”
“I can help you… just saying.” He winked at Felicia, but it was Taylor who got the reference.
“Just leave him, and I’ll help you get over him,” Taylor sang.
“Just saying, just saying!” Luke and Ashton chorused.
“What are y’all talking about?” Felicia asked, utterly confused. “Is this a new song of yours?”
“It’s a song from one of our single albums,” Ashton explained. “I think you’d like it.”
Felicia changed the subject. “How long have you been a band?”
“About five and a half years now,” Ashton replied. “They started without me, believe it or not.”
“Yeah, we were just a little garage band out of a Sydney suburb called Riverstone,” Luke added. “Our guitarist was the one who founded the band. He literally said, out of sheer boredom, ‘Hey, let’s make a band’, so we did – him, Calum, and I.”
“And then, they added Ashton to the mix in December of that same year,” Taylor chimed in.
“So, you didn’t take the band seriously at first?” Felicia asked.
“Heck no!” Luke said with a chuckle. “We never thought this band idea would actually stick around, but here we are!”
“What kind of music do you play? Rock?”
“Right now, we’re labeled as a boy band,” Ashton said, “but I think that’s merely because we toured with one. We aim to be pop-punk. What music tickles your fancy?”
“I listen to a lot of country music, like Luke Bryan and Tim McGraw.”
“We listen to a lot of rock, like All Time Low and Green Day. You should try those bands on for size.”
Felicia giggled. “Well, we can’t have everything in common, or there’d be no getting to know each other.”
“That’s very true. So, what do you do for a living?”
“I work at an ice cream shop,” Felicia said with pride. “I’ve always wanted to be in food service, especially sweets, so I felt like a job serving ice cream would be a great start!”
“That does sound like a good way to get your foot in the door. How long have you been working there?”
“About a year now. Taylor, do you have a job? Besides the YouTube channel, I mean?”
“No, I’m fine just doing YouTube videos,” Taylor said. “I’ve got a lot on my plate as is, anyway. I have a boyfriend whose band is going on tour again soon, two little girls, and a YouTube channel. I don’t need another job.”
“True, but it’s always nice to have something to fall back on,” Luke pointed out.
Just then, Felicia felt something warm on the back of her neck. When she reached back there, she was horrified to find that a seagull had shat on her neck. Ashton found this hilarious and laughed.
“Here, let me help you get it off,” he offered. He then picked up the sand bucket he’d brought with him and raced to the surf. When he came back with a full bucket of water, he dumped it all over Felicia. She screamed in surprise.
“Oh, no, you didn’t!” she yelled. “I’m going to get you!”
She picked up a handful of wet sand and tossed it towards Ashton. He dodged it and tried to hit her back. Taylor and Luke watched as the two of them chased each other around the beach. Then, Luke gave Taylor a smirk and, without warning, picked her up and ran for the water.
“Luke, put me down!” Taylor squealed.
Luke didn’t listen. Instead, he tossed Taylor into the ocean like a sack of potatoes, and she landed with a splash. When Luke approached to see if she was okay, Taylor pulled him down with her.
“If I go down, you’re coming with me,” she said.
She and Luke wrestled with each other in the water. Then, they ended up starting a water fight with Ashton and Felicia that lasted until sundown.
At 10:30, Taylor decided she’d had enough fun for one night, so they all headed back home.
The rest of the chapter has Luke and Taylor coming home to Michael talking with a couple of cops. One of the cops tells Luke that the twins had been kidnapped. Chapter 15 is also just going to be a synopsis, and maybe even 16 bc ofc there's more to the situation than that. But this arc does end well, jsyk!